Page 34 of A Toxic Redemption

"Khalil, who is he talking to?" My mother peeped her head from the kitchen as she inquired about the noise. "Is that Devyn?"

"Yeah." I chuckled as I got up off the floor. "They both said to hell with me."

I went into the kitchen to see if she needed help. It smelled good as hell in here, and she had pots and pans everywhere. That alone let me know that this dinner was for more than just us.

"Khalil, I don't want to bombard you," she spoke once I came into the kitchen. "I invited Mia, Kaine, and Ceaser to dinner. I'm pissed at Kaine, but he is still my son and your brother. Mia is still his mother."

"And Ceaser?"

"Your father." She placed the bowl she was holding in her hand on the counter. "I really want us to sit down and have a conversation today. It's about to be a new year, and too much is happening for us to hold on to hate. No, I'm not asking you to forgive anyone. Just hear them out."

As badly as I wanted to say to hell with all three of them, I was going to entertain this conversation tonight. She doesn'tknow I was shot and that her oldest son was the one who did it. If it were left up to me, she wouldn't. That didn't mean I would forget that shit, though. I was going to hit that nigga when he least expected it. Setting his sham of a house on fire wasn't enough for me.

"Aight, ma," I sighed and kissed her cheek. The smile on her face was going to be worth the drama I knew I was going to endure. "I'm about to go get my phone from this lil' nigga and clean this living room. Oh, check your account, and Merry Christmas."

Winking at her, I left her to do her thing. Mama didn't want me to be in that kitchen with her for real, and I wasn't even mad about it.

As I walked back into the living room, I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of KJ having the phone propped on one of his toy trucks as he laid out on the floor. Just that quick, his little ass dozed off.

"Even through the phone, you can put a nigga to sleep." I smirked as I picked the phone up. "What can't you do?"

"Sit on this phone and talk to you all day." She stuck her tongue out at me, and I swear my dick bricked in my pajamas. "My dad will be here soon, and we're going to start cooking."

"Can I come over later and get a plate?" I tried to give her my best puppy dog eyes. "I won't stay long."

"Maybe." She smirked and got up off the bed. "Call me later and kiss KJ and your mama for me. Be nice today, okay?"

"Always. I'll hit you later."

We said our goodbyes, and I started to clean up Hurricane KJ's shit. While doing so, I couldn't help but think about how this dinner would play out. I planned to do my part and be respectful because I didn't want to tear up my mother's house. One wrong word, though, and someone wouldn't be bringing in the new year.

"God, please don't let me end up sending these niggas to you this evening." I looked toward Heaven and prayed. "I want you to be able to turn up and enjoy your day in peace. If they come in here playing with me, though, you might have to put your party on pause and come get these niggas. Amen."

"Son, you need to hurry and take your ass back to your condo because I don't want lightning to strike my home," my mother spoke when she passed by the open bathroom door.

I'd just finished showering and getting dressed because, soon enough, the shit show would begin. Sighing heavily, I walked up the hall right as the doorbell rang. My mother and I looked at each other before she shook her head and went to let whoever it was in. I needed to check on KJ, anyway. Plus, she invited these people here. What did I look like being the one that welcomed them in?

"Merry Christmas, Khalise," I heard my father say as he entered the house. "You look nice."

"Don't come in here looking at my mama, nigga." I snapped as soon as he entered the living room. Every time I've seen this man, he was in a suit and today was no different. While my mother, son, and I wore these ugly-ass Christmas sweaters, this nigga was Tom Ford down from his head to the floor.

"Merry Christmas, son." Ceaser came and stood in front of me. Handing me a boxed gift, I eyed him before I took it. "I don't want anything in return. I just wanted to give you this."

"You aight?" I eyed him skeptically as I took the gift. It's been a few days since I saw the nigga, but he seems a little sluggish. "You look weird."

"Some days are better than others, and this is one of the bad ones." He chuckled at me and made his way to the sofa. "Is it okay if I speak to your son?"

Hesitantly, I nodded and watched this nigga light up in an instant. I looked on and watched him and my boy engage in a brief convo before KJ went back to playing. He's been in heaven all day, and since his nap, he's been on go.

"Ceaser, would you like something to drink?" Mama's friendly ass came into the living room and asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"What's wrong with you?" I asked him. "Don't lie to me either. I remember you saying you were sick, but you never elaborated."

"I'm good." He gave me a half smile as he continued to watch KJ. "The doctor says I just have to watch what I eat. Nothing major."

"Yet you came over here to eat mama's dinner." We shared a laugh before we went back to silence. I was now back in my head about our last conversation, and I didn't know if I wanted to bring it back up or not.

"So, how's fatherhood treating you?" Ceaser asked and snapped me out of my thoughts. "KJ seems like a handful."

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